Mozambique: Govt. to vaccinate 6 mln against measles and rubella in next 7 days

11:51 CAT | 21 May 2018

File photo: Notícias

The Mozambican Ministry of Health expects to vaccinate six million children aged between six months and 14 years by the 27 May, in the second phase of the measles and rubella vaccination campaign, which begins on Monday.

In the first phase, which took place in April in the northern and central regions of the country, an initial 6 million children were covered.

The action also includes deworming and prescribing vitamin A, occurring in schools, children’s centres and health units.

Elsewhere, vaccination is done using mobile teams.

Ministry figures show that 90,000 cases of measles have been reported in the last seven years in Mozambique, half of which in children over two years old.

The disease remains among the leading causes of death in Mozambique that are preventable through vaccination and “occurs in epidemics of worrying magnitude,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.